Havia déficits gêmeos no Brasil entre 1997 e 2012?

O objetivo deste estudo é investigar a relação de causalidade temporal entre déficit orçamentário e déficit em conta corrente, uma vez que o gerenciamento desses déficits é importante na promoção da estabilidade macroeconômica e no crescimento econômico sustentável, no caso brasileiro. Os resultados empíricos obtidos a partir da análise das funções de impulso-resposta e do teste de causalidade de Granger de um modelo de vetores autorregressivos (VAR) estimado mostra a existência de relação de bi-causalidade entre essas duas variáveis, rejeitando a hipótese dos déficits gêmeos para o Brasil, no período pós-Plano Real. Nesse caso, uma política de corte de déficit público não é suficiente para reduzir o déficit em conta corrente do balanço de pagamentos. Ações adicionais são necessárias e compreendem diversas políticas, como, por exemplo, política de determinação das taxas de juros, política cambial e política de incentivo às exportações. Palavras-chave: política fiscal; déficits gêmeos; teste de causalidade de Granger   Título em inglêsWere there twin deficits in Brazil between 1997 and 2012?AbstractThe aim of this study is to investigate the temporal causality relationship between budget deficit and current account deficit, since tackling these deficits is important to promote macroeconomic stability and sustainable economic growth, in the case of Brazil. The empirical results obtained from the impulse-response functions analysis and the Granger causality test of an estimated vector autoregressive (VAR) model shows that bi-directional causality runs between these two variables, rejecting the twin deficit hypothesis for Brazil, in the post-Real Plan period. In this case, it is not sufficient for the Government to cut the budget deficit in order to reduce the current account deficit on the balance of payments. Additional actions are needed and they comprise various policies, namely, the exchange rate policy, the interest rates determination and export promotion policies.Keywords: fiscal policy; twin deficits; Granger causality testClassificação JEL: C32, E62, F32, F41, H62Artigo recebido em mar. 2014 e aceito para publicação em out. 2015

Retinal and choroidal thickness measurements using spectral domain optical coherence tomography in anterior and intermediate uveitis.

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HAC-ER: a disaster response system based on human-agent collectives

This paper proposes a novel disaster management system called HAC-ER that addresses some of the challenges faced by emergency responders by enabling humans and agents, using state-of-the-art algorithms, to collaboratively plan and carry out tasks in teams referred to as human-agent collectives. In particular, HAC-ER utilises crowdsourcing combined with machine learning to extract situational awareness information from large streams of reports posted by members of the public and trusted organisations. We then show how this information can inform human-agent teams in coordinating multi-UAV deployments as well as task planning for responders on the ground. Finally, HAC-ER incorporates a tool for tracking and analysing the provenance of information shared across the entire system. In summary, this paper describes a prototype system, validated by real-world emergency responders, that combines several state-of-the-art techniques for integrating humans and agents, and illustrates, for the first time, how such an approach can enable more effective disaster response operations

What Does Soil-Transmitted Helminth Elimination Look Like? Results From a Targeted Molecular Detection Survey in Japan

Background: Japan is one of the few countries believed to have eliminated soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). In 1949, the national prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides was 62.9%, which decreased to 0.6% in 1973 due to improvements in infrastructure, socioeconomic status, and the implementation of national STH control measures. The Parasitosis Prevention Law ended in 1994 and population-level screening ceased in Japan; therefore, current transmission status of STH in Japan is not well characterized. Sporadic cases of STH infections continue to be reported, raising the possibility of a larger-scale recrudescence of STH infections. Given that traditional microscopic detection methods are not sensitive to low-intensity STH infections, we conducted targeted prevalence surveys using sensitive PCR-based assays to evaluate the current STH-transmission status and to describe epidemiological characteristics of areas of Japan believed to have achieved historical elimination of STHs. Methods: Stool samples were collected from 682 preschool- and school-aged children from six localities of Japan with previously high prevalence of STH. Caregivers of participants completed a questionnaire to ascertain access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and potential exposures to environmental contamination. For fecal testing, multi-parallel real-time PCR assays were used to detect infections of Ascaris lumbricoides, Necator americanus, Ancylostoma duodenale and Trichuris trichiura. Results: Among the 682 children, no positive samples were identified, and participants reported high standards of WASH. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first STH-surveillance study in Japan to use sensitive molecular techniques for STH detection. The results suggest that recrudescence of STH infections has not occurred, and that declines in prevalence have been sustained in the sampled areas. These findings suggest that reductions in prevalence below the elimination thresholds, suggestive of transmission interruption, are possible. Additionally, this study provides circumstantial evidence that multi-parallel real-time PCR methods are applicable for evaluating elimination status in areas where STH prevalence is extremely low.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

What does soil-transmitted helminth elimination look like? Results from a targeted molecular detection survey in Japan

Background: Japan is one of the few countries believed to have eliminated soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). In 1949, the national prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides was 62.9%, which decreased to 0.6% in 1973 due to improvements in infrastructure, socioeconomic status, and the implementation of national STH control measures. The Parasitosis Prevention Law ended in 1994 and population-level screening ceased in Japan; therefore, current transmission status of STH in Japan is not well characterized. Sporadic cases of STH infections continue to be reported, raising the possibility of a larger-scale recrudescence of STH infections. Given that traditional microscopic detection methods are not sensitive to low-intensity STH infections, we conducted targeted prevalence surveys using sensitive PCR-based assays to evaluate the current STH-transmission status and to describe epidemiological characteristics of areas of Japan believed to have achieved historical elimination of STHs. Methods: Stool samples were collected from 682 preschool- and school-aged children from six localities of Japan with previously high prevalence of STH. Caregivers of participants completed a questionnaire to ascertain access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and potential exposures to environmental contamination. For fecal testing, multi-parallel real-time PCR assays were used to detect infections of Ascaris lumbricoides, Necator americanus, Ancylostoma duodenale and Trichuris trichiura. Results: Among the 682 children, no positive samples were identified, and participants reported high standards of WASH. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first STH-surveillance study in Japan to use sensitive molecular techniques for STH detection. The results suggest that recrudescence of STH infections has not occurred, and that declines in prevalence have been sustained in the sampled areas. These findings suggest that reductions in prevalence below the elimination thresholds, suggestive of transmission interruption, are possible. Additionally, this study provides circumstantial evidence that multi-parallel real-time PCR methods are applicable for evaluating elimination status in areas where STH prevalence is extremely low.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Home-based music therapy - a systematic overview of settings and conditions for an innovative service in healthcare

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Almost every Western healthcare system is changing to make their services more centered around out-patient care. In particular, long-term or geriatric patients who have been discharged from the hospital often require home-based care and therapy. Therefore, several programs have been developed to continue the therapeutic process and manage the special needs of patients after discharge from hospital. Music therapy has also moved into this field of healthcare service by providing home-based music therapy (HBMT) programs. This article reviews and summarizes the settings and conditions of HBMT for the first time.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The following databases were used to find articles on home-based music therapy: AMED, CAIRSS, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and PSYNDEX. The search terms were "home-based music therapy" and "mobile music therapy". Included articles were analyzed with respect to participants as well as conditions and settings of HBMT. Furthermore, the date of publication, main outcomes, and the design and quality of the studies were investigated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 20 international publications, 11 clinical studies and nine reports from practice, mainly from the United States (n = 8), were finally included in the qualitative synthesis. Six studies had a randomized controlled design and included a total of 507 patients. The vast majority of clients of HBMT are elderly patients living at home and people who need hospice and palliative care. Although settings were heterogeneous, music listening programs played a predominant role with the aim to reduce symptoms like depression and pain, or to improve quality of life and the relationship between patients and caregivers as primary endpoints.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We were able to show that HBMT is an innovative service for future healthcare delivery. It fits with the changing healthcare system and its conditions but also meets the therapeutic needs of the increasing number of elderly and severely impaired people. Apart from music therapists, patients and their families HBMT is also interesting as a blueprint for home based care for other groups of caregivers.</p